Q: I'm old and sick and stuck in a nursing home now, and I don't understand why God even keeps me alive. I'm tired of living and I want to go to Heaven — the sooner the better. Is it wrong for me to ask God to take me? — Mrs. E.K.

A: The older we get, the closer we get to Heaven, if our faith is in Christ and His promises. And the closer we get to Heaven, the more we'll want to go there — particularly when life's burdens press down upon us. The Apostle Paul declared, "I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far" (Philippians 1:23).

Don't feel guilty, then, about asking the Lord to take you to Heaven. But don't make that your only prayer! As long as we're on this earth, God has His reasons for keeping us here, and we should ask Him to show us what they are. The Bible says, "The righteous will flourish. ... They will still bear fruit in old age" (Psalm 92: 12, 14).

No, you may not be able to do everything you once did, and you may find that frustrating; I sometimes do. But God isn't finished with us until He takes us home. I often think, for example, of the countless people who have prayed for our ministry over the years (and continue to do so). Many were elderly and infirm, but countless thousands have come to Christ because of their prayers.

In addition, ask God to help you be a witness of Christ's love and peace to those around you. The Bible says, "We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe" (1 Timothy 4:10).

Q: I'm angry at God because He took my husband from me. He was supposed to be a good Christian, but he ran away with his secretary and said he didn't want anything more to do with me. If God really loved me, He wouldn't have let this happen. — Mrs. K.S.

A: Although you may have a hard time believing it right now, God still loves you, and He is even more concerned about what's happened to you than you are. The Bible says, "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love" (Psalm 145:8).

You see, what your husband did was wrong, not only in your eyes but in God's eyes as well. When you were married, he took a solemn vow before God to be faithful to you until you were parted by death. But he chose to break that vow by becoming involved with another woman and eventually turning his back on his marriage vows. In other words, don't blame God for what happened; your husband alone is responsible for what he did. The Bible says, "When you make a vow to God ... fulfill your vow" (Ecclesiastes 5:4).

But I also urge you not to let anger or bitterness hold you captive any longer. If you do, they will become like an acid eating away at your soul. I know it's hard for you not to focus on the past, but if you do, you'll become a prisoner to its hurts and emotions. Instead, ask God to help you refocus on the future.

How can you do this? Begin by confessing your sins to God, including the feelings of anger you've had toward Him. Then ask Jesus Christ to come into your life and sweep it clean, and then by faith trust your future into His hands.

I am always surprised by people who say they believe in God, but then ask "How can God do this to me?" when something hurtful happens. Even the Hippies at Woodstock knew "There is always a bit of Heaven in a disaster area." By focusing on the hurt, we blind ourselves to Blessings.

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